US truckload capacity has tightened materially compared with recent market cycles, and the strain is showing up most clearly in southern freight lanes. The Texas to North Carolina corridor has averaged load to truck ratios near 116 to 1, meaning more than one hundred available loads compete for each posted truck along that route.

The tightening comes as a dense sequence of seasonal and regulatory events converges on the second quarter, raising execution risk for shippers that depend on consistent capacity. Uber Freight executives have described a phenomenon they call phantom capacity, where the market looks looser than it actually is because compliant drivers and secure lanes have become harder to access.

Demand signals remain mixed but lean positive. US manufacturing activity has returned to expansion, supporting flatbed, rail, and less than truckload freight even as the broader economy sends uneven readings.

The combination of tightening equipment availability and steady industrial demand sets up a market where shippers may need to commit capacity earlier and plan routing with more buffer. The 116 to 1 ratio on the Texas to North Carolina lane offers a concrete measure of how competitive truck sourcing has become on the busiest corridors.

Source: FreightWaves -- https://www.freightwaves.com/news/white-paper-state-of-the-industry-may-2026